AN EYE ON... plants

Los Angeles: Eleven angry gardeners in Los Angeles have gone on a hunger strike in protest at a city-wide ban on gas-powered leaf-blowers. Opponents of the blowers say that they are noisy and pollute the environment, but a spokesman for the gardeners said: "What keeps us going is that we have justice and truth in our society and we are here for a righteous cause."

San Francisco: A man was arrested at San Francisco airport after trying to carry two duffel bags on to a flight to Honolulu. Airport security asked to examine the bags after an X-ray scan had revealed something unusual, but the man refused to let them, claiming that the contents included a dildo. A search later revealed about 10lb of marijuana with a street value of pounds 30,000.

Thailand: Rice yields have risen dramatically in some areas where farmers have been sprinkling rice plants with pig manure to keeps snail off. Previously they had had to catch the rice-eating snails by hand and smash them.